Marking U.S. National Women's History Month

The story of Theta is the story of women in North America over the last 150 years. From the early days of women seeking a college education to women creating a welcoming, supportive place on campus, in a community, or in the workplace, Thetas have been there doing the hard work to succeed in scholarship, support one another, and contribute to their communities.

The celebration of the U.S. National Women’s History Month gives us an opportunity to share these stories, be they of the opportunities and challenges faced by college-educated women or of specific Thetas who represent all of us through the years.

The National Women’s History Project began in 1980 to recognize the history of women in the U.S., and in 1987, had March recognized as National Women’s History month. Since 2006, the Project has identified a yearly theme and recognized a diverse group of women from the past and present whose work reflects that theme. For 2018, “Nevertheless She Persisted: Honoring Women Who Fight All Forms of Discrimination Against Women,” recognizes women from a variety of fields.

We think all Thetas are great, and it is tremendously heartwarming when others recognize Thetas for their contributions. This year, the National Women’s History Project recognizes Margaret Dunkle, Chi/Syracuse, as one of their 2018 honorees. Dunkle’s work included a 1974 report on discrimination against female athletes that led to rules being added to Title IX, several years after it was initially implemented. Dunkle led important studies on discrimination against pregnant and parenting students, commissioned the 1992 study on “How Schools Shortchange Girls,” and later focused on child development, leading to screening in programs like Head Start. You can read more about her and her work in a Time Magazine article from this month. We congratulate Margaret on her honor.

Dunkle joins the ranks of two Thetas who were honored in 2013: Dian Fossey, Gamma Xi/San Jose State, was a noted primatologist, and Julia Morgan, Omega/UC Berkeley, was a noted architect. Both were among the first women in their respective fields.

Again, congratulations to Margaret Dunkle on her contributions for women throughout the U.S.